Local News

See also the Parish Council page for minutes of Parish meetings with more news of local issues.

Parish News

Daffodils

The Parish Council intends to buy a selection of early and late flowering daffodil bulbs from Winchester City Council this summer and to plant them throughout the village this autumn (end September/beginning October) to provide more spring colour from 2009. Littleton and Harestock Gardening Club has helped identify suitable planting locations and arrangements to the Parish Council, mainly alongside Main Road, into the Hallway, by the Millennium Memorial Hall and at/around ‘Littleton’ road signs. Bulbs are to be planted in public roadside verges and grass banks. The intention is to keep the new planting discreet, small clumps to enhance existing spring flowers presently in the village and not provide anything that would prove too dominant to existing character. If you have a particular area in mind in the village that you think will benefit from this idea—and even more importantly if you would be prepared to contribute a little time at a couple of weekends at the end September/beginning October to join a community “plant-a-thon” to help plant these bulbs we’d be extremely grateful and would be very pleased to hear from you. Please pass your name to David Elsmore, parish clerk. tel 886507 or email: littleton.harestockpc@virgin.net.
Derek Hickman

Post Office

In June we wrote to you about the negotiations with the Post Office concerning the future of our local branch. Three months later there has been no movement at all in either their or the Government’s position. Their commercial approach makes it impossible for us to succeed without receiving a subsidy which could not be justified. They appear indifferent to the need for realistic policies on franchising and cost allocation based on marginal costing principles; we have failed to secure a change in their policy.
Sadly, the working group (Mike Lupton, Peter Walsh, Kelsie Learney, David Elsmore and Clive Thompsett) has concluded that further work will not result in success. We will be telling the Post Office this in early September and it will result in them removing their equipment from the building. Littleton then, for the first time in 100 years, will no longer have a post office.
May we thank you, the community, for your support and also thank Chris and Frank for their wonderful work over the past five years.
Littleton Post Office Task Force

Synthetic Turf Pitch at Henry Beaufort
Planning Permission was obtained at the end of November 2007. Following this we prepared our bid document for the Football Foundation (about a 150 page document), and this was submitted at the beginning of June. Our bid is for a grant of £317,000, which will be 50% of the total cost. Following their receipt of our bid we had a meeting with the Football Foundation in early July, where they confirmed that there was nothing in the bid which would be “show stopper”, and they requested some more detailed information, particularly in relation to capital budgets and the disabled changing facilities. The next Football Foundation grants panel will meet in October and we hope to get a decision on our funding application at that time. In June we had had confirmation of a very generous grant of £130,000 from Winchester City Council Open Spaces Fund. We will be seeking further funding, especially for the disabled changing facilities, and the school has funds available for the balance of the project. We are very grateful to Littleton and Harestock for your agreed contribution of £10,000.We will keep you posted of further developments. Thank you for your support.
Gini Ainley and Gill Charles
Community Development, Henry Beaufort School

Parish Councillor Vacancy
Have you ever considered being a parish councillor, particularly if you live in Harestock?
As a member of the parish council you could play an important part in delivering services to your local community.
You could be involved in some of the following: planning, highways, traffic, housing, street lighting, community safety, playing fields, litter, seats and shelters, community centres and rights of way.
For information please talk informally to any of the councillors or the clerk.


30 mph Limit in Littleton
The council has received confirmation that the work on the new speed limit is planned to start in September. Hampshire County Council have said that ‘as well as all of the other villages in the programme, it will be brought into operation over a concentrated period to coincide with a safety campaign in the first two weeks in September. This is to raise awareness and encourage compliance among local people.’

New play equipment Bradley Road
The council has recently arranged for the installation, by the manufacturer Wicksteed Leisure Ltd, of six new pieces of equipment some of which replaced old. Three new ‘springmobiles’ have replaced two old pieces of equipment in the toddler area with the addition of a new small multi-play system. For older children the four seat traditional swing has been replaced and a ‘zig-zag twister’ has taken the place of the old snail climber. Finally two new hydraulic self closing gates have been installed. The total cost was £14,000. Once the school holidays are over the council will be looking at painting some of the remaining old equipment, tidying up some of the safety surfacing and generally improving the play area.

Littleton Pond
As the photograph shows the pond was de-silted earlier in the year. Confirmation has been received from HCC that a grant is available for work to enhance the area around the pond and cover the concrete blocks, build proper steps and generally improve the look of the area. Planting is due to take place in the autumn. In the meantime we thank Don Webb for his continuing hard work.
 

Littleton Village Design Statement

August 2008

As we reported to you in February, a revision of the Littleton Village Design Statement (LVDS) has been undertaken by a working group set up by the Parish Council.    After much hard work and many meetings, the new LDVS text is almost complete and will be presented to the Parish Council for their approval at their September meeting.    This new version will be available here on the Littleton & Harestock web site shortly afterwards.

Next year, we shall arrange a public meeting which will give you all a chance to discuss the LVDS with the team and the Parish Council.  These are the first steps in the long process of seeking the approval of the City Council for the eventual adoption of the LDVS as the Supplementary Planning Guidance for Littleton.  

Many of you told us that you had read through the original LDVS here on the web in February and some of you sent in comments which we found useful.

You will be able to view the results of our work in September when we make available the latest draft of the LVDS.

There is still much to do in terms of adding photographs, maps and tables as well as improving the appearance of the LVDS but we have made a good start and look forward to receiving your comments in September.

USE IT OR LOSE IT! re-routing of the free TESCO bus

Can we remind you all that the free TESCO bus (route T3) is now
re-routed, through Littleton, following requests from residents.

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